The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1887-06-15
OUR HIDDEN WEALTH.
The Observations of a Tourist Through
This Section.

southeastern henCuCky, ana says.
cit is one of the richest it has been my
lot to visit. l have visited the coal fields
of Pennsylvania, been down among the
mineral resources of other sections, but
in no place have / ever seen such surface
indication of mineral wealth as in the
Kentucky mountains.
"There are valuable deposits of iron
ore in Estill and Menifee counties. The
old Estill furnace, which was built in
1881, is still operated, and its products in
constant demand for car wheels. 1t pro-
duces a superior quality of iron, and, al
though it costs 81 per ton to move it
eleven miles to the railroad, at Clay City,
yet the industry is paying one.
"From the Kentucky Union Junction
the rate to Lexington is 75cents per ton,
and to Louisville S1.60 per ton. Under
such circumstances, direct road to the
mines would enable the iron to be placed
in Lexington at a much less rate than
the cost of putting on the cars.
"There is good vein of bituminous
coal, which crops out at Beattyville, ON
the Kentucky river, and extends through
Lee and Wolfe counties, appearing in
thick veins near the headwaters of the
Middle Fork of Red river. The veins
at this point are nearly five feet in thick
ness. 1t appears to be the same vein of
coal which extends all through these hills,
and it is a very high grade of coal. As
we near Breathitt county we find Veins
of camel coal, which extend as far
southwark as the Cumberland mountains
The veins in Breathitt vary from TWEEN,
ty-two inches in thickness, and some
veins further south measure upwards OF
eight feet.
"There is no way to transport it, There
are no good wagon roads in that section,
and the only method of travel is by
horseback or OK cart. Both of these are
decidedly too slow for this century and
the coal interests can never be thorough.
ly worked until railway transportation is
provided.
'There is a mine thirteen miles South
of Jackson and it is from a vein thirty.
seven inches thick, seventeen of which
is camel, seventeen splint and three
inches bituminous. Now, all these Goals
are good. The splint can readily be
lighted with a match, and makes a first
class CRATE fire. The bituminous is hard
ly as good as the Lee and Wolfe county
coal, but still is equal to most of the
Kentucky coal sold in this market. The
camel is the only portion sent to the
market, the splint not worth the cost of
transportation. The mine is situated
two miles from the river bank, and this
two miles, carriage has to be done with
oxen over a rough road. Then after
getting to the river, frequently time is
consumed waiting for high water, for
there are shoals in the North Fork that
prevent boats loaded heavily passing
down when the water is low. Before
railroads were built, numerous mines were
worked all along the Kentucky river,
and its precarious navigation was not
considered to be seriously Objectionable.
But, as other coal districts became con-
nected with railroad systems, the river
route was discontinued and gradually
abandoned.
"Near the river banks the forests have
been materially thinned out, but back in
the interior forests exist in almost their
virgin denseness. There is a fine tract
of white pine extending from Powell,
through Wolfe, into Menifee. 1t con.
tains 20 600 acres, and is of immense value,
being the only tract of white pine found
in the United States South of Michigan,
and you know the Northwest is being
denuded of its forests rapidly. In
Breathitt and the counties south there
is considerable walnut and q grand lot OF
poplar, ash and other mountain timber
OF course, did not examine all the tim
Der critically, but ] saw enough to con
vince me that it is decidedly valuable
Another thing that is often overlooked
Is the valuable salt beds in Clay and
other counties. There was time When
the Manchester salt works supplied thi'
country, but the time has gone by wher
a merchant could get on his horse and
ride two or three hundred miles for a bag